Bollywood star named as new tourism ambassador

21 Oct 2015

Dynamic Bollywood star, Sidharth Malhotra has been named as New Zealand’s tourism ambassador for India.

The popular young actor will get his first taste of New Zealand next week before beginning his new role. A keen nature lover, traveller and extreme explorer Sidharth says he wants to experience everything a destination has to offer and he has an action packed itinerary during his visit here.

Sidharth is very much the man of the hour in India where he has a social media following of more than 4.3 million. His new movie, Brothers, was released just last month and he is currently working on two more films.

As part of his stay in New Zealand, Sidharth will film a video highlighting New Zealand’s spectacular scenery, adrenalin packed activities and cultural experiences that will be incorporated into Tourism New Zealand’s campaign work in India. He will also deliver messages about safe driving, encouraging Indian visitors to take care on New Zealand roads.

René de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s Director of trade, PR and major events said: “Being able to work with someone like Sidharth Malhotra is another fantastic opportunity for Tourism New Zealand. We know from past experience of working with celebrities like China’s Huang Lei and actress Yao Chen, their influence through popular culture, particularly through social media channels is enormous.

”Sidharth is someone who loves adventure and exploring so New Zealand is going to be a fantastic experience for him that will give him the first-hand knowledge he needs for the work he is doing with us.

“India is an important emerging market for New Zealand. We saw a surge of interest from Indian visitors as a result of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and I am sure the appointment of Sidharth as our ambassador will further add to that interest,” he said.

Sidharth Malhotra will visit from October 11-19. visiting Northland, Wellington and Queenstown.

India - Visitor NumbersThe number of people visiting New Zealand from India is growing steadily with numbers up 24.9 per cent to 43,329 for the year ending August. Indian visitors tend to travel from October to March and family arrivals peak from April to June, making the India market very attractive to the New Zealand tourism industry as it helps to offset seasonality issues by encouraging visitors in the shoulder seasons.

About Sidharth MalhotraThe A-list actor was born in Mumbai in 1985 and shot to fame when he won ‘Face of the Year’ at an all India modelling agency’s pageant in 2009. Starting his film career in 2012, he has received a Filmfare award for best male debut for his role in a coming of age romantic comedy, ‘Student of the Year’.

Sidharth is our top pick for an influencer as he has a huge fan following and is one of the most sought after actors for brand endorsements.

In his latest film, Brothers, released last month, Sidharth plays Monty, an immature, angry younger estranged brother to David (Akshay Kumar) who indulges in a dirty battle of blood and wrath in the boxing ring. In its first week at the box office, Brothers took $87 million.